Happily Ever After Right?
by Your Sweet Suicide
Summary: Angel is over and it's a year later. The plot is growing and it's nowhere near over. It's round two and things are just starting to heat up. [RS LC AR][Yaoi][AU] Somewhat FF7AC crossover ... chapter 6 is up: re:Arranged. Better than the summary, I swear.
1. Special Occasion

Your Sweet Suicide: Bwuahahaaha! It's alive! ... Okay...here's the sequel people have been asking for. : ) I'm still looking for a title...Ideas anyone?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything of the like...If I did I wouldn't be writing this now would I?

Warnings: Erm...Yaoi? lol. I really don't think that's much of a warning though with the growing number of people that like yaoi nowadays...

Pairings: Riku x Sora , Leon x Cloud(my current obsession) , Axel x Roxas , more to come...

Read on story reader...read on...

**EDIT: Okay, I was looking through my notes and such in -giggles- teh purple notebook o' doom (the notebooke I keep my chapters in) and noticed that right before the end of Angel...Riku would be turning sixteen the next month... -- soo...since this is set one year later Riku will be turning -gasp- seventeen! So...this caused me to go back and make him officially sixteen. ;; Uhm, since I don't feel like changine all the good stuff I had set up in chapter 3 I decided that he'll get his drivers license at seventeen. XD Anyway... Chapter 3 will be out either later tonight or tomorrow before or after 1-3 pm because I hav rifle team practice for a meet that we didn't find out about until Monday. Okay...as I said above...Read on story reader...read on...**

* * *

_11-23-06_

_There's so much going on nowadays I don't know where to start..._

_I guess I could start with the most important thing:_

_Today is mine and Sora's one-year anniversary. I never thought I'd make it this long with someone but I think we're meant for each other. I don't want to sound like some sap but I think it's true._

_We've had a lot of rough spots along the way but we've made it._

_I worry about him sometimes, you know? No...wait...you don't know. You're just a bunch of sheets of paper put together with a cover...I can always pretend though._

_It's been pretty rough on him...especially lately. His mom is in the hospital right now. That guy she was...well...is seeing got her pregnant and she's due any day. Twins. Girls. Guess she's getting what she wanted. The doctors are worried for her health though, they say she's too old to be having babies. She's only forty...I guess that may be too old. Whatever. They've been staying with the guy while she's in the hospital...they being Sora and his brothers. Seems like Cloud and Leon haven't been having the best time...Probably all of the stress on Cloud. I always thought I knew Cloud from somewhere. I finally figured out... There was a thing between him and Kadaj about a year after Sephiroth and Aerith took me in. Maybe that's what caused the huge argument that Sora was telling me about last year. It was right around this time of year..._

_Tomorrow marks the fourth year since Sora's dad left. I feel bad for him. All this stuff he's going through and all I can do is hold him when he's sad...I'd love to go out, find his dad, bring him back, and somehow fix his mom (in mind and body). I know what it's like to have a broken family but at least I had both parents growing up. _

_On the brighter side of things, I turn seventeen next month. _

_Sephiroth talked to me yesterday. No body had told me what happened after the trial with my biological parents. They ruled that my old home was suitable and my parents seemed stable (how they decided that after what happened that night...I will never know...). They made me move back immediately, since I was under eighteen and couldn't say 'no'. It was almost nice for the first week. I didn't get to see anyone much, other than school, but they gave me a few freedoms. I was allowed to walk to school and I was allowed out until their curfew of nine. It was all going well until I got there one night at ten. We had all (Kadaj, Yazoo, Demyx, Axel, Roxas, Sora, me, and a few of Sora's other friends) gone to see a movie. It was longer than we expected so I got back late. My dad got angry and I ended up in the hospital with a few broken bones and a bunch of cuts and bruises. The police took me back to Sephiroth and Aerith's once I was released._

_He told me that about a week later my parents had left the city and handed over all of my papers. I thought they had done that the first time they took me away but they didn't. He and Aerith had been keeping the papers and were planning on giving them to me on my seventeenth birthday but Kadaj and Yazoo we're continually nagging them about it (not fair that they knew...). All they need is for me to sign a few things and I can officially become a Gainsborough. _

_It will be nice to be an actual part of this family. The family that has treated me so well over the past few years. I consider myself lucky. Most foster families aren't the greatest. Either there is a bunch of other foster kids there or the family just puts on the 'we-are-so-nice-and-caring-act' and then treats the kid badly when no one is looking. A lot of the time, the kid is too afraid to say anything, or just too tired of constantly changing homes that they put up with it. _

_I guess there is not much else to say...if I think of anything later I'll write it in..._

_Riku Gainsborough_

_(Now that I can officially call myself one...)_

Riku closed the black notebook and laid his pen down. He got up from his chair and walked towards his window, picking up clothes and other items and throwing them on the bed in the process. 'I really need to clean this up more often...' Laughing softly, he realized how stupid the statement was. It wasn't as if he was in his room to need to have it clean. He was always out with Sora and some friends, or just by themselves.

Looking out the window, he saw the sun beginning to set on the horizon. Sora would be on his way in a while. They were planning to spend the night together and Riku had a few secrets of what the night would hold. He turned around and walked over to his closet, throwing more items on the bed. When he got to the closet, he swung the door open and began fishing through his clothes.

He wanted to look at least half-decent tonight (though most people would tell him he would look stunning in a potato sack...) since it was a _very _special occasion.

After changing, he walked back over to the window and leaned on the sill, watching the colours of the sunset blur and fade together.

Finally, he saw his favourite little ball of energy skipping down the sidewalk happily. He ran up the front walk and in the front door. Riku heard his footsteps padding on the stairs, getting louder the closer to the door they got. He turned around and watched the door swing open. Sora ran over to him, threw his arms around him in a loving embrace, and nuzzled his face against Riku's chest.

"I've missed you..."


	2. Light Shows of Many Sorts

Your Sweet Suicide: Hey guys! Sorry this is late! My first day to release it was last friday but I couldn't get the editing done. I set the date for Wednesday (one week from the release of the first chapter) buuut. I got sick Sunday, school was cancled Monday so I slept (trying to get rid of laringytis), and Tuesday and Wednesday I stayed home sick (and slept). SO...I didn't get any time to edit and review and all that jazz. I finally finished though (even though I should be asleep so I won't fall asleep in choir later).

**Faina **- Thank you! Here's your update! -gives you a random cookie-

**PrincessSerenity110** - Thank you! Glad you loved Angel! I like that idea but I think I'm going with -points to title- that one because I've had several people tell me they like that. And thank you again! My Valentines Day was okay. They canceled school due to snow so that was good...but I had to spend about 3 hours of it with my dad in the hospital (he has a bad back and slipped on the ice...but he's better now! Don't worry!) -hands you a cookie of your desired flavour-

**Ritsuka-kun 17** - Yay! Well...Here's more! It's okay about the title. My mind has been drawing a blank when it comes to simple things like a title lately. -hands you a cookie- I like giving reviewers cookies!

**Rikuxsora-yaynessXD** - (love your PenName) Lol. I have (as I have dubbed it) Title-block! I'm perfectly fine until I get to the title... -hands you a cookie- enjoy!

**shikyo seirei** - Yay! Another reviewer! Lol. Just kidding. One of the best? Oh wow. Now I feel super special! I wouldn't consinder myself a _great _author...but as they say...THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT! And in this situation...it would be the reviewer is always right! Yay for addiction problems! Ooo. I like that title...buuut...My mind has been made up...Sowwy. Still, love the idea. -hands you a cookie-

**lostinthisnightmarecalledlife** - You know...your PenName is fun to type...Lol. Random...but true. -alarms sound and balloons with little hears on them fall from the...uhm...ceiling- YAY! You have won the million dollar prize...-hands you 1,000,000 in Monopoly money- XD Happily Ever After..Right? got like...5 votes (some from outside sources). (I liked The Journal too but **xxpapercutxx** has a story called The Journal and we have a habit of posting stories around the same time with the same title.) WHOO HOO!! -gives you a cookie-

**Lady Aru - **Thanks! It's okay. Here's your update!

**Shadow of Yang - **Yay sequel! -throws paopu shaped confetti- I'm writing! I'm writing! XD -gives you a cookie-

(last chapter)

"I've missed you..."

* * *

Sora looked up at Riku and smiled. "What are we doing tonight?" 

Riku smirked, "It's a secret..."

"Aw Riku, secrets aren't any fun though!" Sora pouted and stepped back from the embrace, taking Riku's hands in his own.

"They are once you find out what they are." Still smirking he pulled Sora across the room to the door. "C'mon now, we don't have all night."

Sora nodded and followed Riku out the door, pulling to shut behind him.

--

They walked down the sidewalk, fingers laced, until they came to a park.

"Close your eyes." Riku whispered to Sora. He complied, but not without adding his trademark pout in. Riku took both of Sora's hands and led him across the park to a bridge.

He stopped and pulled Sora so that he was standing before him and they were facing towards the bridge. Wrapping his arms around the smaller boy, he laid his chin on the others head and smiled. "Open your eyes now."

When Sora opened his eyes, he couldn't believe the sight.

They were standing on the edge of a bridge. On the other edge of the bridge was a beach. Not a real beach though, it was a beach that the people created on the bank of a river that ran through the west end of the city. The stars twinkled and reflected off the water, making it look like faeries were dancing across the surface. It looked almost as if someone had cleaned the entire area and even leveled out the sand. Sora saw something lying on the sand but he couldn't tell from where he was standing.

"Oh Riku, it's...beautiful." Sora's heart fluttered and he felt like a giddy schoolgirl.

"Let's go." Riku let Sora go and pushed him softly, ushering him across the bridge.

Sora's heart fluttered even more, possibly skipping several beats, when he saw what was lying on the beach. A blanket lay on the sand with a small box sitting in the middle.

They walked over to the blanket and Sora looked more closely at the box. "What's in there?" Riku smiled, "Open it."

Sora picked up the box and lifted the lid off delicately. Inside laid a yellow, star-shaped fruit. "Is this a...?"

"It's a paopu fruit. A friend told me about it. They say the legend behind it is that if two people share it their destinies –"

"- Become intertwined," Sora finished. He looked up at Riku and smiled again. Riku noticed a sparkle in his Angel's eyes that hadn't been there before. One of the sparkles leaked and a tear fell down his cheek.

"Riku where did you...?" He set the box down and threw his arms around the older boys' neck, tears now spilling down his cheeks freely. "I love you..._so much_...no matter what."

Riku smiled and wrapped his arms around the boy's small waist. "I love you too." He kissed Sora's temple and sighed. It was a happy, content sigh.

Sora let his arms drop and turned back to the box, picking it up and taking the fruit out. He lifted it up so that it was in between his and Rikus bodies. "Shall we?"

Smiling, they both took a bite at the same time. The fruit dropped down onto the blanket as Sora raised his arms to wrap them back around Riku's neck. Juice from the fruit dripped down his chin. His tongue darted out to clean off the substance. It was sweet but tart, border lining unbearably sugary and cheek-puckering sour. Overall, it tasted delicious. There was no exact taste to describe it.

Riku lifted a hand to clean off what Sora's tongue missed but a hand grabbed his and pulled it back down. Sora pressed their lips together before Riku could ask any questions. When he pulled back, he smiled and lifted his hand back up and tangled it in Riku's long, silver hair.

"Now we'll be together forever," he laughed, "and I don't care how cliché that sounded." Riku laughed with him. It had sounded pretty cliché but hey, love itself is like that sometimes.

_Boom. Sizzle._

Sora whipped around to see a firework fade. He heard two more shoot off.

_Boom. Boom. Crackle. Fizz._

"Woah..." Sora gaped up at the fireworks, lost in all of the colours and designs.

"Axel's pretty good with pyrotechnics isn't he?" Riku smirked and looked up at the sky to see a few more fireworks go off.

"Axel did that?" Riku nodded. "Yeah, he set up this entire show."

"Woah..." Riku chuckled to himself and wrapped his arms around Sora's waist, pulling him flush against his chest.

They stood just enjoying each other's presence until Riku noticed something other than smoke from the fireworks filling the sky. 'Clouds...' he thought, 'Perfect. Just flippin' perfect. He quickly released Sora from his grasp and pulled out his cell phone, flipping it open and dialing Axel's number.

"Hey...there's clouds coming in. Let's cut the show short, 'kay? We'll see you tomorrow." Glancing at Sora he saw the confused look on the brunets face. He simply pointed up towards the sky and waiting for Axel's response.

"Yeah...alright. Just means more for another night, right? See ya." Riku flipped the phone shut and slid it back in his pocket. He grabbed Sora's hand and pulled him towards the park exit.

"Riku...where are we going?" Sora tugged back at Riku's hand and stopped walking. The older teen spun on his heels and looked up at the sky. "It's going to rain. We have to get home." Sora sighed, defeated, and started walking again.

When they finally reached Riku's home it had begun to drizzle and there was a new light show playing in the distance, only this time it wasn't Axel's work.

Sora sat on the edge of Riku's bed, shivering softly from the cold rain. "Here..." Riku handed his lover a pair of baggy sweatpants and an oversized tee shirt. "You can sleep in these tonight. Go ahead, change out of those wet clothes, and toss them in my hamper okay? I can't have you getting sick, now can I?" He laughed softly and pulled some clothes from himself out of his drawers.

Lighting cracked outside the window and thunder rolled off in the opposite direction of where it had sounded. A loud noise from the bathroom started the silver-haired teen. "Sora? Are you okay?" When he heard laughing, he began to think he was losing his mind. "Yeah, I'm good. Just fell over. These pants are really baggy, you know that?" Riku couldn't help but force a smile on his face. "No, you're just a klutz that's all."

He quickly slipped into the loose-fitting shorts he had found and pulled off his shirt, wincing slightly when the cold air hit his bare chest. Realizing why it was so cold he all-but-ran to the window and shut it, blocking out the now pouring rain and the blowing wind.

'Where did this storm come from all of a sudden? It was supposed to be clear tonight. Anyway, what is it doing storming in the middle of November? Talk about weird...'

The door behind him opened and Sora emerged from the bathroom, tripping over the extremely long pant legs.

Riku had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide his smile and coughed to force back his laugh. "Riiiikuuu!" Sora whined, "It's not funny! When I trip and get hurt you're paying for the hospital bill!" He pouted, causing Riku to lose his composure and double over laughing.

He was soon forced onto his side by a sudden weight being thrust upon him. "Sora, get off me of I'll have to tickle you." Said boy laughed until a flash of lightning lit up the room. Sora squeaked and clung to Riku's arm.

"Sora? What's wrong?" As the thunder crashed Sora whimpered and clung tighter to Riku's arm. "Oh yeah, you're afraid of storms. I almost forgot..."

Riku maneuvered himself so that he could sit up against the wall and hold Sora in his lap. "Shh... It's okay. I'm here." He stroked his long digits through the cinnamon brown spikes before him. With every flash and boom, Sora would cringe and whimper, and Riku would hold him a little tighter.

A howling wind suddenly blew, sending vibrations through the wall behind him. Riku wasn't too fond of storms himself but he needed to be strong for his Angel.

His Angel...

_His _Angel.

"My Angel..." he mumbled softly into the brunets' spikes. Sora's head tilted up slightly at the voice. "Riku...? What did you say?"

"Nothing, love. Just go to sleep and when you wake up the storm will be gone." Hearing the kindness in Riku's voice, he felt like a child again, before everything had gone wrong. When his father was still there he would pull both him and Roxas up onto his lap and would whisper to them until they fell asleep.

"Promise?"

"I promise." Riku laid a kiss on the top of Sora's head and sighed. It may have not been the way he planned this day ending but it suited him just fine.

* * *

A/N: WOW. I typed that last part in like...5 mins tops? Like...everything from the start of the storm. I redid it when I was editing...and that's what came out. Okay people...I'm going to bed. I have choir in like...four hours and I need at least a little bit of rest to be ready for the party tonight. Don't forget to review! I'll give you a Sora plushie holding a paopu! (if only these things _really _happened...) I LOVE YOU ALL! Star 


	3. Understandings

Your Sweet Suicide: Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry I made everyone wait. I've been super busy (and it's not going to let up any time soon) so I haven't been able to type _anything. _On Monday my friend Damian told me that practice was that afternoon and we had a meet this Saturday. -almost dies- We haven't practiced since like...November so we had to do a lot of work and had practice every day after school. We even had practice on our day off today. Tomorrow we go to Chatham, VA (3 hour drive...) for a meet. Then next weekend my youth group is going on a retreat and the next day is youth Sunday. The weekend after is a repelling trip with JROTC and the next weekend (plus the Thursday and Friday before) I'll be in Atlanta, GA for a choir thingy. I feel so busy. This took a while to write but I've had a lot of free time during my classes so this is what came of it. I mean, I had it planned I just couldn't figure out how to write it.

Reviews:

**RiSo-angsty-angst.humor O.o** - I love fireworks too. And of course, Axel being a pyro and all I had him set them up! Here's your Sora plushie! And if you turn the paopu over it had a chibi Riku face on it!

**Shadow ShiningHeart **- Yay! RikuSora! lol. Here's your plushie! Thankies for the review

**lostinthisnightmarecalledlife** - -giggles- Cute analogy. I love puppies and cookies! Yay love and sweetness! XD -hands you teh plushie-

**Ritsuka-kun 17** - I made extra plushies! Hahah! You no get no plushie since you stolded the others.

**Special Pleb - **Hmmm this is the future from when you reviewed soo...Here's a new chapter! -gives you a plushie-

**Aru Leonhart-Strife - **The storm was a mix of impulse and plans. See, the night I wrote that it was storming outside and I'm deathly afraid of storms so...yeah. (since my friends call me Sora I thought 'This Sora should be afraid of storms too!') I planned for something to happen...I just had no idea what it would be. Anyway...yeah. Thankies for the review! I always look forward to yours (and everyone elses)!

**xcloudx** - Hehehe...I like cliche. It makes me giggle.

Okay...one little thing. I cried while writing this chapter (mainly the end of it) and I'll probably cry most of the next chapter. Wahhhh...

Don't forget to R&R.

* * *

(last chapter)

"I promise." Riku laid a kiss on the top of Sora's head and sighed. It may have not been the way he planned this day ending but it suited him just fine.

--

_Ring. Ring._

Riku opened his eyes and blinked a few times before realizing where he was. He looked down and saw Sora sound asleep in his arms. Well, he thought he was asleep.

"Who's calling this early?" Sora asked groggily.

_Ring. Ring._

"Dunno." He looked around the room and then yelled, "Someone get that!"

_Ring. Ring._

"Hm...whoever it is can call back later. I don't feel like getting up." The silver-haired teen hugged the boy closer and sighed.

The answering machine picked up but the person had already hung up. Soon, Riku's cell phone started beeping.

_Beep. Beep._

"Persistent little bastards..." He pulled it out and flicked it open, "What?"

"Riku, it's Roxas. Let me to talk to Sora. Now." Roxas' voice was full of worry and alarm. Riku quickly handed the phone over.

"You're twin," he stated before resting his head on the wall. Today was going to be a bad day, he could just feel it.

"I'm here." Sora yawned, stretched, then stood, walking to the other side of the room. "Yeah...he what? ...What do you mean he's gone? ...Well, who is the last call on the ID from? ...Th-...The hospital? ...What about Cloud? Where is he?" Sora began pacing, running a hand through his limp cinnamon spikes. "Okay...so you're there with Denzel? ...Shit. ...Yeah. Hold on."

He looked over with worry filling his eyes. "Riku, I need to get to the house, then the hospital. Like...now. We think something's wrong with her." Riku nodded but an unreadable look came across his face. "Wait, I'm not allowed to drive without someone over 25 with a driver's license with me."

Sora put a hand on his hip, "Since when did you care about rules?"

"Since they could take my permit away."

The brunet sighed, "But...it's mom...I think. Her boyfriend is gone and so is Cloud. The last call on the ID is from the hospital. Roxas said that after that phone call is when her boyfriend left. Riku...I'm...I'm worried."

Riku smiled softly, "If I didn't love you so much I wouldn't do this. I'll drive you guys to the hospital." Sora dove across the room and hugged his boyfriend. "Thank you so much. Hey Rox, we'll be on our way in a few. See ya." He closed the phone and handed it to Riku.

"C'mon Sora, let's get changed and we can go." Sora shook his head violently, "No time. We have to get up there now! Please Riku...what if it was Aerith?" Riku paused. If Aerith was in the hospital and the last call on the phone was from the hospital he would want to get there as fast as possible. "Alright...let's go."

The brunet flew down the stairs, only hitting every other step, and out the back door. Riku followed, running his hands through his messy silver hair.

--

A long, pale hand strummed on the steering wheel as aqua eyes watched three brothers run down the path to the borrowed car.

"Hurry up." Riku stated simply before sighing and resting his head on the steering wheel. One slip up and he could get his permit taken not even a month before his birthday.

Roxas got it and pulled Denzel close next to him, trying to calm the crying boy. Sora shut the back door and fell into the front seat. He was so worried he was beginning to feel nauseous. Looking up he stared at the azure sky, watching the broken up storm clouds float as if they held no threat the night before.

The car started moving, slowly at first, but then reaching a safe speed. "Fuck Riku, can't you go any faster? I know it's your freedom on the line but please..."

Riku frowned at the sadness in his boyfriends' voice. Never before had he sounded so upset. He pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal, hitting ten, then twenty miles per hour of the speed limit. Luckily, there were not too many cars on the road so he easily cut across a lane to get on the highway. Once he was sure it was okay, he pressed even harder on the gas pedal, bringing the car up to seventy miles per hour.

Noticing how fast trees and buildings were flying by Roxas pulled the long middle seatbelt around himself and Denzel, making sure they were secure.

"What's the matter Roxas? Scared?" Riku laughed softly and brought the car to seventy-five.

Sora's eyes flickered from the sky, to the odometer, to the mile markers. "Two miles to the exit, you might want to slow down..."

"Slow down? After you told me to speed up. If there is anyone on that off-ramp they'll be getting their poor asses run over because I'm not slowing down until we get to the hospital."

"Riku! Just...please. One mile...slow down!" Sora's eyes pleaded for the older teen to slow down but they kept a steady seventy-five. "Riku listen to me! Riku!" The brunet had tears welling in his eyes, "Please Riku! Slow down!"

The silver-haired teen took the exit at sped down the off-ramp. When they got to the main road, Riku slowed down slightly but was still driving at a dangerous speed.

They finally arrived at the hospital, in what most would call record time. The car pulled up at the in-patient area and Sora, Roxas, and Denzel slid out while Riku drove off to park.

Sora ran down the hall towards the waiting desk but skidded to a halt when he saw a familiar mesh of blond and brunet in a waiting room. He looked to see Cloud with his head rested on Leon's shoulder. They had made up, again, obviously.

"Cloud!" The small brunet ran over and tackled his older brother, jolting him awake.

"Sora? What're you doin' here?" Cloud rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned.

"Roxas called be...he was _freaking out..._" As if on cue, Roxas walked into the waiting room with Denzel on his hip and Riku following behind.

"Anyway...how's mom? Can we see her?" The older blond frowned. "She's been somewhat better. No one will tell us anything, though. We aren't allowed in her room either. Rox and Denzel probably can but you can't."

Sora tilted his head to the side with a confused look plastered across his face. "And why can they?"

Cloud looked to the ground, hoping the answer would be there but all he could see were tiles, feet, carpet, and chair legs.

"It's because you're here with another male," Leon spoke up. "Those fuckin' racists wouldn't let Cloud in to see her when they saw me. They automatically assumed things and refused to let us in."

"Yeah..." Cloud mumbled.

Sora's expression changed from confused, to upset, to angry. "Will they at least tell us what condition she's in? Is the bastard here? Are you sure Rox will be able to get in to see her? How long have you two been waiting out here?"

A head appeared before his face. "Sora, calm down. They told us that she is better that she has been but worse than when she came. He is here and he does have a name, it's Rai remember? I don't know what room she's in, they've moved her again. I'm almost positive he will, and we've been here since around midnight."

For a blond, Sora thought, Cloud is pretty smart.

"Rox, give me Denzel and go on back to see if you can see her." Roxas nodded and set Denzel on Cloud's lap. "I'll be back." He walked around the corner and they listened as what they guessed to be a nurse stopped him. They talked for several minutes before they began walking again and their voices faded.

Hearing a whimper, Sora turned to see Denzel clutch onto Cloud's shirt with one hand and wipe away tears with the other. He reached his hand up and took his younger brothers in it, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" His voice was soft, calmer than it was when he was questioning Cloud.

"Mom...and Riku. I don't want to ever ride with him again. He's crazy..."

Sora frowned for a moment but squeezed the small hand again and smiled. "Don't worry. Mom is going to be okay. As for Riku...I'll have to teach him a lesson about driving like that okay?"

Denzel smiled softly and nodded before resting his head on Cloud's chest and yawning.

--

(With Roxas and the nurse)

"What did you say your mother's name was, honey?" The nurses voice distracted him from his thoughts.

"Luna Tilmitt," he replied softly.

They walked in silence past five more doors before the nurse stopped and opened a door on the left. "She should be awake."

Roxas nodded and walked in. His mother was laying in one of those large beds with machines and whatnot everywhere. "Mom?" She turned her head and squinted, trying to see in the dim light of the television.

"Who is it?" Roxas felt dejected. His mother didn't know his voice or his silhouette. "It's Roxas."

"Oh...how did you get here?" Roxas shifted before walking next to the bed. "Riku drove us..." She looked at him oddly. "Who is Riku...and who is us?"

Obviously, she hadn't planned on them coming. "Riku is Sora's..." he paused before continuing, taking a deep breath, "Sora's boyfriend. Us is Riku, Sora, Denzel, and me. Why didn't Rai tell us what was wrong? Scratch that...what _is _wrong?"

"Roxas honey, I don't want you to worry." Honey? Something was definitely wrong. "Where are my babies? I want to see them."

He looked to the floor before taking her hand. "The staff won't let them back here..." "Why not? I want my babies!" The blond sighed, "Because their boyfriends are here."

The woman looked lost. "So? I'm their mother! I gave birth to them so I should at least be able to see them one more time!"

Roxas took a step back, dropping her hand. "What do you mean...one more time?"

"Oh honey..." She reached out for his hand. "You mean Cloud never told you? I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Mom? What are you-" A nurse came in and frowned. "Ms. Tilmitt, there is a boy wandering around the halls looking for you..."

Sora burst into the room immediately after. "Mom!" He ran over to her side and took her hand. "Mom, I had to sneak back here! Please tell them to let us see you!"

She nodded to Roxas, "Bring Cloud and Denzel back here...Leon and Riku too." Both of the boys' eyes grew wide. Was she finally going to accept them?

--

They all somehow managed to fit in the small room. "Boys, I already told Roxas and Cloud this. I wanted to see you one last time... It's a miracle that I'm even awake right now but...I don't think I'm going to make it to tomorrow. I want you all to know that I love and that I feel so...blessed to have you."

"Wait," Cloud interrupted, not understanding how she could be so...calm saying this. "You treat us badly for all these years and then you decide, only a possible few hours before you're going to..." he paused, swallowing the lump in his throat, "before you're going to die to tell us this? Why?"

She sighed and looked to the ceiling. "I didn't realize how wrong I was until I looked into their eyes. Your...sisters' eyes."

The four brothers looked up. They finally had two little sisters. Then it his them...their mother wouldn't be there to raise the little girls she had been wishing for.

The first of the seven in the room to make a noise was Sora, who drew in a deep breath before falling to his knees. He covered his face but his shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. Riku knelt beside him and hugged their bodies close together but the sobbing increased.

"Sora-baby, please don't cry...I wish I had only realized sooner..." She wiped a tear from her eye as she watched Denzel cling to Cloud's leg and begin to weep. The two blonds stayed quiet, trying to be the stronger of the four.

Sora wiped his eyes and took a deep breath before he cleared his throat and looked up. "How could you? Why are you doing this to us? Where are we going to...? What are we going to do without you? We love you! You can't leave us!"

Luna covered her face with her hands and wiped away the tears that had been falling freely. "Rai is going to take care of you. Sora, honey, please be strong. I promise it'll all be okay."

Roxas, who had previously been staring out the window, looked at his mother with curiosity. "Where are they?"

His mother's eyes filled with tears yet again. "They...only one made it. Rai is with her, the other...her lungs collapsed and she..." He voice cracked and she looked back towards the ceiling.

"Mom..." Roxas stumbled over to the bed and threw himself on her. His whole body was shaking from the sobs; he couldn't keep himself together any longer.

As if meaning to make everything worse, a doctor came in to tell them that visiting hours were over until two, they'd have to leave, and by leave he meant leave the hospital. Apparently, some other people that had been sitting in the waiting room were complaining about something or the other.

Cloud picked up Denzel and handed him over to Leon, who understood and left the room. Once he calmed down, Sora stood up, placed a kiss on Luna's cheek, whispered a pitched "I love you" and turned to Riku. The aforementioned teen took the other's hand and led him out of the room.

Roxas stood up and wiped his eyes before leaning back over and kissing her on the opposite cheek, whispering a hoarse "I love you" and turning to Cloud. "We'll wait for you outside."

His voice was soft and scratchy, making him sound almost childish.

Once they had all left the room Cloud walked over and hugged her tightly. He stood back up straight and looked up to the ceiling. "They say that if a person keeps faith in living it raises their chances of surviving. Maybe if you start thinking about all the things you'll be able to do once you get out of here you'll be able to actually come home with us."

Luna sighed. "Cloud, they've all told me that I'm not going to make it through this. I shouldn't even be here right now but I wanted to see you six, not just the four of you, before I passed."

The blond looked back at her. "You really did want to see all six of us?"

She nodded, "I wanted for Leon and Riku to hear it from me. I wish Alex or Axel or whatever his name is could've been here, too, but I messed that up. I am completely sorry for what I've done to you boys."

Cloud shook his head. "It's okay now. We all now that you really do care. That's all that matters." He looked around the room, shoving his hands into his pockets and sighing. "I heard from dad the other day. He said he's really sorry about everything that's going on. He was supposed to be here but he's really busy. Um...speaking of dads, how do you think Rai is going to hold up with five of us now and his daughter?"

"He'll be fine. I can almost bet you'll spend most of your time at Leon's, Sora will be with Riku, and Roxas will probably stay to take care of Denzel. Don't worry. You've met Rai before, he's a good guy. He'll take care of you all much better than I did." She took his hand and squeezed it. "I don't mean to rush you out of here but I don't want the doctors mad and cutting me off. I love you."

Cloud took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I love you too. Heh, I never thought I'd be doing anything like this in my life."

He placed a kiss on her cheek walked towards the door. "Oh yeah," he called before the door closed completely, "what's her name?"

"Selphie." She called back.

As soon as the door clicked shut, she turned back to look out the window, saying a silent prayer to God that she was ready to leave this world.

* * *

A/N: Waaaahhhh. I'll try to get some writing done on chapter 4 tomorrow but I'm not very talented when it comes to writing and being on a moving vehicle (namely buses) so I'm not sure how much I'll get done. I'll probably write some while we stop near Ronoake for breakfast and while the JV team is shooting (I'm actually on the varsity team for this match!). Okies well...I'm gonna go. After I finish dinner I'm going try to sleep. I have to be at school at 6 tomorrow morning. Pwease review. 


	4. So Hum Hallelujah

Your Sweet Suicide: Okay, how many of you hate me? I'm so sorry for not updating. I've been super duper busy lately and this is the only time I have to update until next Saturday because I'll be at JROTC camp for a week. I dun wanna go! But I have to. I'd rather stay here and finish up the next chapter for you guys buuut. I can't. Please don't kill me. I'm only 15. I have a possibly important life in front of me and I don't want to loose that so soon.

Reviews:

**RiSo-angsty-angst.humor O.o - **Ooooo cookies. Wow...March...I bet these are reallllllly bad now. Oh well! -chomps on one- Yay! Hugs! -hugs- My friends and I are hug whores...so yay hugs!! XD

**lostinthisnightmarecalledlife - **Yes, draaaaaaaaaammmmmaaaa. Drama Llamas...There's more drama in this story than there is at my high school!!! -screams- Nah, that's impossible. With all the people we have...bah. And yes! The brothers have returned! (Except Loz...he's still studying to do...what ever he plans to do after college...Don't ask me what it is...he's the one that's taking the courses not me.) XD

**Akunen** **- **Wonderful, eh? Sweet. Yeah...about doing what needs to be done...that's gonna take a few weeks. I have camp this JROTC camp this week, come home for 2 days, serve food at a cookout next Sunday, then leave next Monday for Youth Camp with my Youth Group...then come back. And sometime in the busy time-span I have to clean my room...Oh well. It'll all get done...someday.

**hotemopunkchick - **Man, cool name. I, personally, can't choose which one is the hottest. I luffles them all the same! (Except for Kadaj...he has a special place in my heart...and Demyx...because Demyx is just...Demyx...)

**Bella216** - Here ish ze update! Hope you enjoy.

**LemonDrop-Lollipop - **Your name makes me want to sing a song. Once I'm done posting this...I'm gonna go dance around the house, scare my new neighbors, and sing a song...and maybe whoop out some death-metal afterwards just to add to the effect...I dunno. I have no idea what all that was about but...Happy Birthday! Wait, wrong person...it's my mom's birthday...not yours. Or is it your birthday? Maybe it is...Whatever.

**TADA! HERE BE ZE NEXT CHAPPIE OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER...RIGHT?**

(Last chapter)

As soon as the door clicked shut she turned back to look out the window, saying a silent prayer to God that she was ready to leave this life.

--

Cloud walked down the hall with his hands shoved deep within his pockets. He had his head bowed and his lips were moving, reciting an inaudible prayer. Tears began to slip from his eyes as he leaned against the wall for balance.

A strong hand came to rest on his shuddering shoulder. When he looked up through his blond bangs, he saw Rai's eyes boring into him, causing him to stop crying. "Be a man, Cloud. You'll have to help me raise those kids, ya here? I'm gonna stay here and take care of the girl. I want you to take the boys to my...our house until I get back. If I ain't back on Monday just go on to school like normal. I'll call you if anything happens."

Rai handed him a set of keys and started back down the hallway. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Don't be throwin' any parties, okay? Take care of those boys. You're all they got."

Cloud nodded and began walking the opposite way towards the waiting room where he could hear the other five. As he turned the corner, he could see that Sora and Roxas had cleared the tears from their eyes and regained most of their composure and Denzel had fallen back asleep on Leon's lap. He chuckled at the sight, for Leon would never be seen with a child in arms length of his body.

Denzel was the only child his lover seemed to care about and that made him glad. Riku looked up and noticed him in the doorway before smiling softly and nudging Sora, catching his attention.

"You guys wanna leave?" They all nodded and stood from their seats, all except for Leon who made sure not to wake the sleeping boy. "Sora, Roxas, I want you to come back to the house with me. Riku, you will be allowed over later on. We just need some time together." The teen nodded to Cloud, then to Sora, squeezing his hand gently and leaving the room.

--

Back at the house, the twins had settled into the room they shared, Denzel into the master bedroom, and the two eldest in the kitchen.

Cloud sighed and rubbed his temples in an attempt to ease his headache. "Leon, how am I supposed to help him raise those three and a newborn? I'm seventeen! I have better...no...more important things to do than raise children."

The brunet watched the other pace the floor. "What would those more important things be?" Cloud glared.

"Keeping my grades up, getting ready for college, _spending time with you, _things I'm already having trouble with. I actually want a future that doesn't involve children as soon as high school is over." He sighed and leaned against the counter.

Leon pressed a hand to his chest in mock surprise. "You actually care, Cloud! I thought you'd given up on me!"

Cloud glared again and muttered, "Who said I hadn't?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing, just...nothing."

Leon smiled a soft smile that was only shown in the presence of his other. "Sorry, didn't mean to piss you off. I can help you know. I took most of the classes that you're in this year during my senior year. I'll help you look into colleges, _and _I'll make sure we get some you and me time."

Cloud smiled as he walked over the where Leon was standing and pressed a gentle kiss to the others lips. "You know something...?"

"Hm?"

"We're almost illegal..."

Leon looked at him with a confused expression. "Illegal?"

Cloud smiled again, "I'm seventeen, you're nineteen. If your birthday was before mine we'd be over the three year limit by a few months"

"Three year limit?" Leon was confused, his gray eyes studying his boyfriend's expression.

"Mmhmm, it's illegal for a minor such as myself to be seeing someone over three years of their age."

"Well I say they can shove that law up their asses." He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on the others lips.

At that moment, Roxas walked in, sighing softly. "Guys, can you help me...oh...you're busy. Never mind, I'll just get Sora to help..."

Cloud stepped back quickly, blushing. "What do you need help with, Rox?"

"It's um...it's Denzel. He won't calm down...Something about wanting to see mom. I don't know what to tell him...and it hurts to see him like that." He reached a hand up and brushed away a tear that was about to fall.

"About mom?" Cloud shot a worried glance at Leon before rushing out of the room.

--

"She w-was in here! I s-swear it! I m-may be little b-but I'm not a l-liar!" Denzel wiped his nose on the sleeve of his shirt before rolling back on his stomach and covering his head with the pillow.

"And he's been at this for how long?" Cloud sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "About twenty minutes. I heard him crying when I came down to get Sora and myself something to eat and..."

"What do you think he means by 'she was in here'? He can't possibly be talking about mom."

An aggravated scream came from under the pillow. "Who else would it be?" Denzel threw the pillow to the floor. "She had long brown hair and sparkly blue eyes! She was even wearing the outfit that they make people in the hospital wear! I swear! Mom was in here..."

Roxas walked over and sat down next to Cloud, facing their younger brother. "Denzel...it couldn't have been mom. Mom is...mom's not with us anymore..."

"..." Denzel blinked, not understanding what his brother had said.

"What he means is, your mom is with God now..." Leon was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed across his chest and a casual look on his face. "Her time here is through and her spirit has gone up to live in Heaven."

"I...I don't get it. Why would she leave us?"

"Her time was up. It's as simple as that."

Denzel sniffed loudly before punching the bed softly. "But...it was her."

--

"Boys, dinner's ready!" Sephiroth called up the stairs. Soon a pair of footsteps paraded down the stairs and faded as quickly as they had come.

"I'll be down in a little while." Riku called back down. He was sitting in a chair positioned at his desk. "I just need some time to think..." he murmured.

Reaching across the desk, he took the cordless phone he kept in his room off the charger and dialed the only phone number he knew by heart, Soras' number. The dull ringing resounded once, twice, three times, before the answering machine picked up.

"_Sorry, we are not home right now. Please leave a message after the tone. Beep."_

"Sora, it's Riku...again...I hate to be so persistent but I just wanted to know how you're holding up. You know I'm always here if you need to call me." He paused, not sure of what else to say. "Well, Aerith made dinner so I have to go but I'll call back later. I...bye."

Sighing, he set the phone down and left the room.

--

"What took you so long to get down here, brother?" Kadaj set his silverware down and turned to his foster brother with concern. "It's nothing...I was just daydreaming." Yazoo rolled his eyes but continued to eat.

"Well, sit down and get yourself some food." The teen complied and began to eat.

An eerie silence passed through the room. The five family members each noticed the awkward silence and tried to fill it with coughs and scratches of silverware on plates.

"So," Sephiroth began, trying to avoid the silence, "how did your days go, boys?"

"Fine."

"It was okay."

"..."

They all turned to Riku, who hadn't spoken. "Riku? How was your day?" The teen still did not answer.

"Riku, you're dad asked you a question. I think it would be kind to answer him." Aerith tried, but gained no response.

Yazoo giggled softly. "Maybe Sora broke up with him." Kadaj glared, knowing something was wrong.

"Ri...what's wrong? You don't look too good."

"...It's nothing. I'm fine." Everyone heard the unsteadiness of his voice.

"If you need to talk to someone," Aerith placed a hand on his, "we're here okay?"

Riku jerked his hand away. "I said I'm fine!" He pushed back from his spot at the table and stormed upstairs.

Kadaj made a move to follow but Sephiroth stopped him. "Let him cool down for a while. Something is obviously up..." The older brother nodded and sighed.

--

In his room, Riku collapsed onto the bed, body feeling twice as heavy as usual. "Sora...please...I just want to hear your voice." He got up and stalked across the room to where the phone lay.

Dialing the number and listening to the dull ring, he sighed. On the third ring, the phone clicked and a deep voice answered. "Is this Riku?"

Not surprised, he laughed softly. "Yeah it is. Can I talk to Sora?"

"If I can get him to open the door you can. He and Roxas have been shut in there all day."

"Okay." Riku waited and listened to the soft padding of feet followed by the rapping of a fist on a wooden door.

"Sora, the phone is for you." He heard a door open and the Roxas' soft voice reply something to the effect of "he's asleep."

"Can you wake him?" Riku asked, not quite sure if the voice on the other end was listening.

Roxas' voice spoke quietly into the phone. "Hey, Riku. Uhm, I'd love to let you talk to him but he just fell asleep not five minutes ago. He really needs it. I'll make sure he knows you called when he wakes up and I wouldn't be surprised if I called you back immediately. Just, please, let him sleep."

"Alright, thanks Roxas." He hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

He set the phone on his desk and leaned back in his chair. He began thinking about how he had acted at dinner. It wasn't like him but he didn't feel like telling everyone about the death.

'You can't just say. Nothing really happened today. Oh, wait, my _boyfriend's _mother may have died. I don't think that something any parent wants to hear from their son. Yeah, they are okay with our relationship but...I don't know.'

His thoughts lingered on the subject a bit longer.

_Knock. Knock._

"Who is it?" Riku stood up and walked over to the door.

"It's Kadaj."

He sighed, "Can you come back later?"

A laugh resounded from the other side of the door. "Nope, I'm not leaving this spot until you let me in."

"Alright." Riku opened the door a crack and walked over to lie down on his bed.

Once he felt it was safe, Kadaj slid into the room and shut the door. "So, what was up with your little outburst at dinner? You're never like that."

Riku ran a hand through his silver hair before speaking. "I've just had a bad day..."

Kadaj laughed. "Do you really expect me to live with that answer?"

"Well...no."

"Then spill."

Thinking out his words, Riku explained as simply as he could about what happened. Kadaj simply frowned.

"I want to help them but...I'm only sixteen. It must be hard on Cloud. Can you imagine trying to raise your three younger brothers, get ready for a new baby, and finish high school? I'd hate to be in Denzel's shoes too. If I lost my mom at that age...well, if I lost Aerith at that age. I really don't care what happens to my biological parents but if anything happens to Aerith and Sephiroth...I'll be devastated. And they aren't even my real parents! They're two people who got stuck with me because my real parents didn't care. I don't even know how Sora is taking it. He was asleep when I called him and Roxas sounded pretty tore up." He paused. "I'm rambling...and complaining. I'm sorry. Ugh, I can't stand this."

"Don't be sorry, Riku. Ramble and complain all you want. I'm here to listen. That's why I came in here. I think that if there were a way you could help them, it would be by helping Sora. He's the light of those four and if he isn't shining that light then it would do something to the rest of them. Don't you think?"

Riku stared at his brother before thinking about it. "Yeah, I guess."

* * *

A/N: Not my best...but whatev. If ya'll haven't noticed...I've failed to put a disclaimer...but really...do you actually think that I own any of these characters? (Besides Luna, Rai, and Riku's parents. They don't count thought. They're all from my whacked out dreams.) Eheheheh...Riku rambles a lot. Welp, that's all I really have to say. If ya'll have any questions or anything feel free to -cough- review -cough- or something. Uhm, sorry if it needs some editing stuffs. It shouldn't but Microsoft Word hates me...Anyway guys. Much love. Hope to see some reviews coming in -cough-. -Star 


	5. Your Tears Don't Fall

Your Sweet Suicide: -dodges flamethrowers and random objects- Spare me! I've returned from the dead! (Or so it feels...) Okay, I say this every single time but it's the truth...I'm so sorry!! I've been insanely busy!! Seriously, I have JROTC events, choir events, youth group events, churchwide events, drama events, and to top it all off...I auditioned for the one act play my school is doing this year (It's a comedy spin-off of Little Shop Of Horrors called A Little Play Of Horrors) and everyone is convinced that I got the part. (It's a simple part. If you've ever seen Nightmare On Elm Street then you know the little girls jumping rope and singing the rhyme; Brownie, Cupcake, and Candie...well...I tried out for Cupcake.) Plus I have just regular school stuff (like insane amounts of homework each night...). Trust me though, the entire time I was working my butt off this summer and especially while I was writing this chapter, I was thinking of you all. You know why? Because I love you. That's why. Mmkay...I'm gonna let you go on and read this chapter and I'm hoping that this next chapter doesn't take as long because I have about half of it already either written or in my head.

Disclaimer: Are you serious...? Do you actually believe someone like lil' ol' me could actually take credit for these amazing creations? Ha. You're hilarious.

BTW: This chapter is a little AkuRoku centric (AxelxRoxas for those who still don't get it).

Thank you!: to everyone who reads this. I can say that yes, I love it when I get reviews (Especially when I post between events and come back to find like...5 review alerts in my inbox.) but just seeing that people read this and enjoy it makes me happy. You guys are what keeps me slightly sane. Y'all are great.

One last thing: this chapter isn't as long as I want it to be but that's explained in my note at the bottom...

(last chapter)

Riku stared at his brother before thinking about it. "Yeah, I guess."

--

Sora slowly drifted out of dreamland and moved to roll over until he heard a soft sobbing noise.

"Axel, I'm afraid. I'm actually fucking afraid. I know that Cloud is going to break under all of the pressure. He's not as strong as everyone thinks he is." Roxas's voice was slightly higher-pitched than normal. He must have been crying.

Sora lay still, pretending to still be asleep, as not to see his twins' so-called weakness. The two were so different, a lot of people couldn't tell they were twins. Roxas was always the tough one, never backing down from a fight, and never letting anyone see his true emotions. Sora was the exact opposite. He was easily frightened and cried quite often.

"I just want to see you...I've missed you." Sora listened closely. He had never heard this side of Roxas before. "Yeah...Rai won't be home for a few days."

By the way things sounded, Axel was actually being a boyfriend. Many times, Axel wasn't one to comfort or get tangled up in emotions. Maybe that's why the two fit so well together.

"I'd love that. Okay, hurry." He paused, but only for a moment to respond, "I love you too."

Figuring it was the opportune moment; Sora stretched his arms and played as if he had just woken up. "Hey Rox..." He yawned softly.

"Hey Sor, feeling any better?" The brunet shook his head and sighed. "It's going to be so..._weird_ without mom here."

"I know...We'll just have to adjust."

Sora began to wonder how often his blond twin cried. He must have done it a lot in private to get so good at covering it up.

"Sora? Did you hear me?"

"Um...no. What did you say?"

Roxas laughed softly. "Day dreaming again? Anyway...Riku called you earlier. You might want to call him back. He sounded desperate."

Sora smiled, "Then give me the phone. I have a call to make..."

--

'He's late...' Roxas sighed as he watched out the window. Axel was supposed to be coming to see him. It had been weeks since they'd seen each other. Axel's parents had decided that, since his grades weren't the best in the school, it would be best if he was taken out of school and taught by a tutor.

After a few more minutes of waiting, he left his room and sat on the front porch. Not long after, he saw his boyfriend walking across the street towards his house.

He smiled slightly and ran over to see him. Their bodies collided, as Roxas ran full force into Axel, and landed on the ground in a heap of arms and legs.

"Heh, knock me down, why don't ya," Axel laughed. Roxas cut his laughter short, though, by pressing their lips together. When they parted, Axel smiled. "Geez, the last time you were like this was when I vowed not to—" Roxas clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up. That wasn't fair, you would tease me and I was ready to kill you."

Axel's smile never faded until he saw what the blonde began to do. He rolled off Axel's body and sat up on the ground, cross-legged, and sighed. He followed suit, sat up, and took Roxas' hands. "Hey, don't go all pouty on me now. If you want, just talk your heart away and I'll listen, I promise."

Aqua eyes locked with his own emerald eyes. The boy didn't say a word, just kept their eyes locked. Softly, Axel muttered, "What are you thinking? You're eyes are so hard to read right now."

A tear slipped down from the aqua eyes and small hands moved to wipe it away before it became another but larger hands kept them in place.

"I just can't believe she's gone."

"Rox..."

"I wish I could've had the chance to talk to her. Well, have a decent conversation, not our usual one. Ax, what if she knew where my dad is? How're we supposed to find him now?"

Axel smiled softly, "I'll take you on one of those stupid talk shows and you can tell them your life story and then they'll put out ads and make huge signs talking about your dad. Then, we'll just sit back and wait for him to come!"

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen."

"You never know!"

Roxas frowned at him. "If you're trying to cheer me up it's not working."

"Damn."

"I just...shouldn't I be more upset about this? I mean, for Christ's sake, my mother just passed away. Sure, after dad left she treated us pretty badly, but she was still our mother."

Axel thought for a minute before responding. "I think she would want you to be strong and move past it. You need to try to be strong for your brothers. You're the second oldest and since Cloud is under a lot of pressure you need to take the 'big brother' role. Sora and Denzel look up to you, ya'know. How would they feel if the person they looked up to was always moping around and being sad? I know I'd be pretty upset. Just think on that."

Roxas looked out past him and let another crystalline tear slide down his cheek. "I...I don't want to be the big brother. I want to be the one that looks up to people, not the other way around. I don't want to be responsible for other people or have to worry about whether people see me messing up. I want to be able to cry and not have hide it."

"Well then, Rox, you know what you do if you feel like that?" Axel smiled slightly at his sudden burst of intelligence.

"What do I do?"

"You cry here with me. I'll be the only one to see it and I'll only tell if you want me to."

Two more tears slid down Roxas' cheeks as he looked back at Axel. He pulled his knees to his chest, folded his arms and rested his head on them. "Yeah but you're the last person I want to see me cry..." he muttered softly.

--

After reassuring Riku that things were all right, even though they weren't, Sora decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood. He heard Cloud talking about someone moving into their old house and wanted to go take a look. Luckily, the house was just a few blocks over.

He turned the corner just in time to see the moving truck pull away from the driveway and a man and woman go inside the house. For a second, the man looked familiar, but Sora brushed it off as it possibly being one of his primary school teachers. He began to jog down the walk to get a better look but came to a sudden realization when he saw the man walk back out the front door.

Sora came to a halt as he watched the man from across the street in utter amazement. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

In a slight disbelief, he recalled a few of his memories to confirm his assumption. Everything matched up. It was actually him.

He called out, in a half-surprised, half-questioning voice to the man across the street. "Dad?"

* * *

A/N: Yeah so, like I said, AkuRoku centic...oh and look!! A TWIST! Bwuah! I'm so awesome. I actually think this fic might come to an end within the next 3-5 chapters depending on how many loose ends I have to tie up. But! Be looking out once this is over for a new fic that I have about...3 or 4 chapters of written (no, not on my hard drive...in the notebook that I carry with me everywhere.) and it seems pretty good so far. The story is an AkuRoku centric fic (Because AkuRoku drives me crazy...good crazy...) but I will try to squeeze in a little RiSo time if I feel the urge. But seriously, I need to get the chapters edited and typed up. I have most of the first chapter typed up and that's only because Wednesday I stayed home from school with a really bad cold and because I've been typing like crazy tonight...really, my hands are about to fall off.

Speaking of editing. This chapter would have been posted about two hours ago but I read threw it...felt like blowing chunks because it sucked so bad (just kidding...it was just horribly written and needed a little TLC) and erased like...most of it. When I finished editing it came up a page short so I said "Gosh, just because I love these people so much I'll add an extra page to the next chapter to make up for it.

Since I love you guys so much for doing that...you should totally love me back and give me tons and tons of reviews. I want to get on here tomorrow after doing my chores and such and find like...a million review alerts in my inbox. So many emails that Yahoo! will send me to Ripley's Believe It Or Not and you'll see a story about me being the first person to have one million plus emails in their inbox at one time. ...Okay I'm done...I LOVE YOU!


	6. re:Arranged

Your Sweet Suicide: Okay, so this is a little early. Like, a week and a half early. But! I have a reason! Actually...several reasons. Reason one: I got this finished a lot faster than I expected. Reason two: My next week and a half is insanely busy. I have seven rifle practices, a repelling trip, lots of end-of-grading-period stuff due, and a rifle match. Reason three: The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can start posting Graim Thu (which I have been itching to get feedback on).

I'm slightly disappointed though. As I am writing this (10:11 pm, Sept. 18) I have 2 reviews and 42 hits on chapter 5. That's a slight decline from the usual 6-8 reviews and 170-580 hits...(I know, that's nothing compared to some of the stories on here but still...it means a lot to me that my stuff is worth reading.)

Bah, I'll stop complaining and finish this little note so you can get to the story (which is quite long...). I made sure that this chapter was extra long to make up for the lack of length to the last chapter. One warning though, this chapter is a lot of dialogue. I mean, so much...I'm not sure if I wanna make them talk ever again because there's so much dialogue in here. Nah...I like making them talk.

Dedicated to: Akunen. Okay. You. Are. Awesome. I seriously love you. Your reviews brighten up my day (not that the others don't...) and make me all fuzzy happy and make me want to finish the next chapter faster. Plus, you got my super special question right. So...this chapter is for you.

Disclaimer: Sorry, still don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything of the like. I only own the games/dvds, a ring, and a cheap copy of Sora's crown necklace (which is broken...because it's so cheap).

(Last chapter)

He called out, in a half-surprised, half-questioning voice to the man across the street. "Dad?"

--

The man looked up and took a step back, startled. "Sora?"

"Dad!" Sora ran across the street, not looking to see if any cars were coming, and tackled his father.

His father hugged him and then pushed him back softly by the shoulders to get a better look at his son.

"Gosh, you've grown. How's life been?" He smiled while inspecting Sora.

"Not too good...you obviously haven't heard, have you?" Sora frowned at his dad's expression. "Mom passed away...but...we have a little sister now."

"Oh Sora, I'm sorry. I heard someone at work say she was in the hospital but I didn't know if it was true or not...and I didn't have anyway to get a hold of you guys. Where are you living now anyway?" Ari crossed his arms and sighed.

"We live about three streets that way," Sora pointed in the direction, "with mom's whatever he is. He hasn't been there, though, because he's been staying at the hospital with the baby. I, um, don't like staying there. I don't think any of us do." Sora looked around and held his arms like he was cold. It was so weird to talk to someone he hadn't seen in over four years.

"Sora? Did you hear what I said?" He glanced up at his dad and shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I asked you if you wanted to come inside and talk. Your stepmother would love to meet you." Sora nodded and followed his father inside.

"Ari, who are you talking to?" A woman's voice called from the kitchen.

"It's someone I want you to meet." Not long after, the woman stepped into the hallway holding a napkin holder. "Oh sweetie, is that Sora?"

Sora nodded softly and took in the woman's look. She had long, straight brunette hair and dark green eyes. She was dressed in a pair of worn out jeans and a light orange tee shirt that looked like it had been bleached a few times.

"Sora, I'd like you to meet your stepmother, Taryn."

"He does look just like you!" Taryn reached her arms out and hugged Sora. "Ari wouldn't stop talking about you. All I would ever hear was 'Sora this' 'Roxas that' 'Cloud yadda yadda.' He really loves you boys."

"Really? Um, Taryn, it was really nice to meet you but do you think I can talk to my dad for a while? Alone?" Sora smiled at her.

"Of course, sweetie. I'll just go finish putting our kitchen away and you guys can talk all you want. Do you want anything for lunch?"

"No thanks." He shook his head and looked at his dad. "Where can we go to talk?"

"I think I know where." His dad started up the stairs, and then turned to motion for him to follow, so he did. They ended up in his and Roxas' old room.

"Wow, haven't been in here in a long time. I wanted to ask you earlier...why did you move back into this house if it's just going to be you two? You could've gotten a nice, smaller house. Why this one?"

"Because if things work out right it won't just be the two of us living here." Ari judged Sora's confused look and smiled. "Sor, I'm fighting to get custody back. I want you boys to come live with me."

Letting it all sink in, Sora smiled happily. "That would be awesome but um, what about Selphie?"

"There is that extra room we always used to storage..." Ari smiled. "How's that sound, Sora? If you guys move back in it'll be just like old times."

"No. Not just like old times...mom won't be here."

"Sor..." His father's large hand reached out to rest on his shoulder, but Sora turned away.

"No, it's okay," he set his hand over his heart, "she'll still be with us."

"So does that mean you'll come back?" Ari smiled again. This was just what he had been hoping for.

"I'll talk to them about it...Do you think you could come over to the house this afternoon? I want to be able to talk to Cloud and Roxas before they see you."

"Yeah. I'll come over around seven."

"That'll be great..." Sora gave his father the address and decided it was time to get back. "I guess...I'll see you at seven then. See ya." He started to walk out of the room but turned around and attacked his dad with another hug.

"I've missed you so much..." Two tears fell from Sora's eyes.

"I've missed you too."

--

When Sora arrived back at the house, he found Roxas curled up next to Axel on the front porch swing asleep. His brother looked peaceful for the first time in a long time. With all the stress they'd been dealing with, he hadn't been the best person to be around.

Axel looked up and waved. "He just fell asleep about ten minutes ago. He looks different, doesn't he?"

Sora nodded and smiled a little. "Do you know where Cloud is? I need to talk to him and Roxas."

"Cloud should still be in there. Leon left a few minutes ago."

"Thanks. Could you do me a favor and wake Roxas up and tell him he needs to come to the living room?"

Axel nodded and watched as Sora bounced inside. He began to wonder what the boy had gotten into to be so hyperactive.

"Roxie, wake up," he nudged the smaller boy softly and smiled at the yawn he received in reply. "Hmm?"

"Sora needs you." Hearing this, Roxas immediately shot up with his eyes full of worry. "Don't worry, I think it's something good. He's pretty bouncy."

"Sora is always bouncy..." Roxas stretched and got up from swing. "I guess I'm needed inside, but I won't let you leave until I get something." He smirked at the look he got.

--

"Cloud!" Sora bounced around the house looking for his older brother. "Where did you go?"

A small laugh was followed by, "In the kitchen, Sora."

"Cloud, Cloud, Cloud...come here. Put that stuff away and come here!" Sora bounded into the living room and collapsed into one of the chairs.

"Where is here?" Cloud's voice came from across the house.

"Living room, now!" The brunet adjusted himself to sit upright in the seat and grinned.

"Okay, I'm in here," Cloud announced as he entered the room. "Now, what do you want."

"Sit down and wait for Roxas to come in. Then I tell you the AWESOME news!"

The blond twitched slightly and sat on the couch. "Did you go to Riku's? You must have. You always get like this after you see him."

"Noo, I didn't see Riku, though I'd love to. Just sit and wait. It's worth it, trust me."

A few minutes of watching his younger brother twitch in his seat Cloud sighed and called out for Roxas. "Rox, get in here before I beat your ass!"

A faint "Coming!" resounded from outside, followed by the front door opening and closing.

"What? You interrupted something." Roxas crossed his arms as he stood in the entryway.

Sora bounced in his seat before twitching. "Come and sit!"

"Yes, Roxas, please. Come and sit down before your twin explodes. I'd rather not be one brother short...even if it is Sora." Cloud smiled at the look he got from Sora.

After a bit or thought, Roxas crossed the room and sat on the other side of the couch. "Cloud, why is he twitching like that? Did he see Riku?"

Exasperated, Sora threw his hands up into the air. "No! I didn't see Riku. Just listen. This is much better."

"Better than Riku? No way." Sora glared at his twin.

"Shut up, Roxas. This is something all three of us can enjoy. Heck, even Denzel will like it! Okay, guess who I saw today! You have three guesses and the first two don't count."

Roxas and Cloud glanced at each other before answering.

"Riku, the Easter bunny, or 2Pac?" Roxas laughed at the look he got.

"Rox, 2Pac is dead. But no, no, and no."

"Um, that evil teacher you had in third grade, Oprah, or Riku?"

Roxas glanced at Cloud. "Oprah? What the hell?"

"It could happen!"

"Guys! No. You're both wrong."

"Then who did you see?" Roxas asked, aggravated.

"I saw dad." All three boys let the sentence hang in the air for a minute before anyone said anything.

Cloud spoke up first, "Sora, are you sure it was dad you saw? I mean, he's been gone for so long. Are you sure it wasn't just someone who looked like dad?"

"No, I'm serious. I sat down and talked to him. He and his new wife, our step-mom, just moved into our old house. And," Sora paused, "he wants us to move back in. He's supposed to be coming over at seven to talk to all three of us."

Roxas and Cloud exchanged looks again. "Sora, are you sure you didn't fall, hit your head, and dream it?"

"I'm sure! Guys, why don't you believe me?"

"Because, Sora, you tend to day dream a lot. If he shows up at seven, we'll believe you."

Roxas nodded in agreement.

Sora stuck his tongue out. "You guys suck. He'll be here."

--

Sora stayed near the door from six-thirty until seven o' five, when the doorbell rang. As he had guessed, Roxas came running and Cloud came not long after. When he opened the door, he grinned as he heard his two brothers' curse.

"Hey, boys." Ari smiled at the three standing in the doorway.

"The little shit wasn't lying." Cloud muttered. Roxas simply remained silent.

"Come on in, dad!" Sora pulled his father into the living room with the other two following behind.

They all sat down and looked towards their father. Cloud snapped out of the trance he was in and asked the first question. "Why'd you leave?"

"I was afraid of what your mother would do next. Plus, I was tired of the arguing and I knew that we couldn't afford a marriage counselor."

"Okay," Roxas spoke up, "Sora said that you wanted us to come back. Is it true?"

"Yes, I want you boys to come live with me. I already told Sora that I could even use the extra room that we had as the baby's room."

After they had cleared those two things up, the questions came more randomly.

"How would you get custody?" Ari smiled. I've been fighting for custody of you boys for a while now. While your mother was alive, I couldn't get you, but I have the feeling it'll be a lot easier now."

Cloud sat in thought while Roxas asked his questions and once Roxas seemed finished, he spoke up again.

"I have two simple questions. One is simple for all of us, and one is simple for just the three of us." Cloud sighed.

"Okay, ask away."

"First question: when would you want us to start moving in, considering you pretty much have custody of us already?"

Roxas and Sora nodded in agreement. "We've been here alone so it wouldn't be hard for us to start bringing our stuff over now." Roxas looked at Sora in surprise. He guessed they were having a twin moment because that had been the same thing he was thinking.

"I would like for you to start moving your stuff in now, but I want the move official after the funeral. When is he coming back?"

They all knew who 'he' was. "He told me he'd be back when we got home from school on Monday, but I'm not sure if he will or not. Last night when he called, he said that he had a hotel room and that the hospital needed him longer. He said he might not be back until Wednesday or Thursday."

"Good, if you want to, you can start packing things up and we'll start moving them in tomorrow. Just leave out your necessary stuff for the next week. The funeral is Wednesday, right?" Seeing the boys nod, he thought for a second. Okay then, we'll work on getting your stuff moved in. That is, if you want to."

Cloud looked at him. "This is actually more for you to decide. I know the three of us want to move back in and I know that Denzel will want to, also. The only thing us, do you really want us back?" Ari looked like he was going to say something but Cloud stopped him. "That brings me to my second question."

Sora and Roxas looked at Cloud with worried eyes. They knew what he was going to ask.

"Ask away, then."

The older blond sighed. "Dad, what is your opinion on gays?"

Ari sat stunned for a few moments while the boys exchanged looks.

"Cloud..." Roxas started, but couldn't find the words to say.

"I don't have any problem with gay people. In fact, I work with one. What does this have to do with...oh. Oh, I get it. Did you seriously think I wouldn't let you live with me because you guys don't like girls?" Ari laughed. "That's the best thing I've heard in a long time."

The boys looked at each other in shock.

"Of course I still want you back." They all sighed hearing this. "Well, since we've all agreed. You all start working on packing tonight, invite your boyfriends and your friends over tomorrow, and we'll start moving. I'll drive back over in a little while and leave you some of the boxes we used from our move."

Ari got up and started to walk towards the door. He turned around mid-step and frowned at his sons. "You're actually going to let me leave, after not seeing me for...how long now...without a hug? And I thought you were my sons."

Sora, Roxas, and Cloud all got up at once and attacked their father. "Heh, that's what I thought."

--

After saying their goodbyes, Cloud assigned his younger brothers jobs to do.

"Roxas, put a bag together of what you'll need until next Saturday and put that on your bed, then start putting your stuff in piles to get put into boxes. Sora, make the same kind of bag, but when you get done with that I want you to come down and help me with Denzel's things. Got it?"

"Got it," The twins said in unison.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was going to have a huge cliff-hanger but I thought "No, that'd be mean. I probably won't be able to update until the beginning of October and that would be just mean" so...I brought it to a closing point.

This isn't going to be a long end-chapter note. I have biology homework to do from last week and Monday...and it's 12:03 AM...blah. Um, all I ask is that I might get a few more reviews on chapter 5 and a few reviews on this chapter. I just want to know how I'm doing. I don't need someone telling me how each line was or anything...just a "Good job." or a "You might want to go over ... " would be nice. This chapter is a whole 4 pages longer than chapter 5. See how nice I am? Like I said though, the next chapter should be up around the beginning of October (hopefully). I love you guys! (Please review! Not just this chapter but chapter 5 too!)


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